Joliet Central High School
Joliet, Illinois
Teacher:
by Gina Clemens
Grade 11
I think that it is time to initiate a rite of passage for American youth. There are a lot of young people that are very hurt and very confused right now. Young people are confused because adults confuse them. They are expected to be responsible, pay adult prices everywhere, and go to school everyday. But yet, they don’t get the privileges that adults usually get. I think that some kids get mad that their parents restrict them so much. That is why a lot of teens rebel and just don’t care. If they can’t be treated like adults, then why should they have the responsibility of an adult?
If we had a rite of passage, then maybe that would clear things up a little. You would have a set time to become an adult. You would know your role. You would have no reason to rebel. A lot of kids try to prove that they are adults. They do this by setting their own rules, such as setting their own curfew, doing drugs or alcohol, or doing stupid things to look cool. With a rite of passage, we would know when it is our turn to become an adult. Now, we don’t have clarity on when we become one.
Maybe we should have one when we enter high school, because that’s mostly when teenagers try to prove themselves. Maybe it would be a way to try to prevent kids from making a lot of mistakes they do today. Sometimes they have sex to try to prove themselves as adults. But they don’t realize what they are getting into. It has a lot of emotional effects as will as physical. I don’t think that they are considering the consequences about how they might get a disease or become pregnant. Some girls get pregnant intentionally so that they can get away from their parents. Maybe parents need to start trusting their kids, too. They need to start them out young and talk to them about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex, and talk to them about their personal interests. It is one thing to be a mother or father, but it is another thing to be a parent. I know I would appreciate it if my parents would just be a little interested in my life. It seems all they want to do is to make rules, make sure I’m getting good grades, that I get fed and nothing more. They hardly talk to me about my life, and a lot of times I want talk to an adult that I trust, about the things I am stressed about. They have “been there” and could probably give some good advice.
A rite of passage would be a very good thing. For example, when Jewish kids turn thirteen, they have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or when Mexican girls turn fifteen, they have a Quincenera. This is a way for them to know that their community recognizes them as an adult. Maybe we should start an American tradition similar to the Mexican or Jewish traditions.
If I were to start a rite of passage, I probably would begin by having some sort of social gathering to announce that it was time for the teenager’s “coming of age”. I believe that I would start when they turn fifteen years old. At each birthday following the initial gathering a new lesson must be learned, for example, when a person becomes a certain age, they should be taught age appropriate subjects This could not possibly cover all of the important issues that we have to deal with on a daily basis, but it could be a starting point.
I believe that the best thing that a parent can do, though, is to keep the lines of communication open. It is very important that parents talk to their kids often. Parents should let their children know that they are there for them and that the trust them. Let them know that they are supported through anything. The best thing that a parent can do; is guide and teach their children what is right and wrong. Most parents are afraid to “let go” of their children because sometimes they are unable to accept the fact that their children are growing up.
We as teenagers should also be aware of the responsibilities that go with becoming an adult, and we should also make sure that we keep the lines of communication open to our parents. I believe it is a two way street and that if both parties involved are willing to give an inch each way, we could probably solve a lot of problems before they get out of hand.
Answers To Questions
Margaret Mead says that young people in the U.S. were becoming less than they might be. It is reminiscent of a current Army recruiting commercial that says “Be all that you can be.”
Answer to Q2
None of the issues listed of the 1920’s are no longer issues today.
Answer to Q3
Yes, I agree with Margaret Mead, that “culture is man-made and that man is free to design it closer to the desires of its own heart.” The definition of culture is concepts, habits, skills, art, instruments and institutions of a given people in a given period.
Answer to Q4
In her writings, Margaret Mead was advocating an integration of the primitive and the civilized.
Answer to Q5
Yes, I agree that my peers and I want adults to recognize what is going on and to enforce boundaries. A lot of kids don’t get that, so the turn to bad things as a cry for attention.
Answer to Q6
Three things that I have seen concerning drugs or alcohol at my school are; a girl smoking weed in the bathroom, a lot of kids getting drunk at a party, and a guy on with some liquid drug substance.
Answer to Q7
No, I do not have a solution for “the plight of the black teenager”. I think that racism and discrimination will always exist. It is just a fact that throughout history (and right now) people don’t like what’s different from them.
Answer to Q8
Yes, I think I would like going to a school where they make learning fun.
Answer to Q9
I think it’s a good idea to have more classes that incorporate real life situations. When are you ever going to use a trigonometric problem in real life anyway? We should have more classes on how to file your taxes, or something useful like that.
Answer to Q10
I think that it is true, that adults and teenagers need to keep lines of communication open, and that’s the best thing you can do.